Talking in the temple: a case study of language use and attitudes in the Shree Raam Mandir in Wijchen, The Netherlands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v5i2.235Keywords:
literacy, Sarnami, Hindustani diaspora, Mandir, scriptAbstract
This paper presents a case study of the Hindustani community attending the Shree Raam Mandir in Wijchen, the largest Hindu temple in the Netherlands. On the basis of a questionnaire, in-depth interviews and observations, data were gathered about oral and written use of and attitudes towards the three main languages of the community, i.e., Dutch, Sarnami and Hindi. Our findings reveal that Dutch is the high-status and main public language of the Hindustani community in Wijchen, both in spoken and in written form. Sarnami, an informal and mainly oral language, has a rather low status and is still used in the community by the older generation. Hindi, the language of Hinduism, however, is highly valued by the community, although it is hardly known and therefore hardly used by its members. These outcomes, all showing Dutch steadily gaining ground on Sarnami and Hindi, are discussed within the wider framework of the double migration history of the Hindustani community, and of religion and identity.Additional Files
Published
2012-07-25
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Articles
How to Cite
Kroon, S., Kurvers, J., & Remie, R. (2012). Talking in the temple: a case study of language use and attitudes in the Shree Raam Mandir in Wijchen, The Netherlands. Sociolinguistic Studies, 5(2), 235-255. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v5i2.235